Chapter 487 - 483: Couple Check-in Activity

In the coffee shop, Ethan Sterling sat by the window, his gaze fixed on the main road outside.

Only when Seraphina’s figure appeared did his eyes light up, and he quickly got up and ran out.

"Seraphina!"

Seraphina’s head was down, her mind still replaying what had just happened at the bus stop. Hearing her name, she looked up. When she saw Ethan, she gave a slight smile and a wave, and her pace quickened.

As she drew near, Ethan suppressed his inner delight, trying his best to sound casual. "It’s after nine, so the aquarium should be open. But I already ordered coffee. Should we finish it before we go?"

"Sure, I’m a little thirsty anyway."

"Did you eat breakfast? I saw they have sandwiches here."

"I already ate."

Ethan nodded, and the two of them went inside and sat back down at the table.

Ethan was wearing a pair of gray shorts and a well-fitted, cream-colored, plain T-shirt. At first glance, his outfit seemed unremarkable, but both pieces were from an indie designer, a gift from his sister, Cecilia.

Even the shoes he was wearing weren’t cheap.

Seraphina didn’t know any of that; she just thought Ethan had a good sense of style, so she instinctively complimented him, "That’s a nice shirt. It’s very minimalist."

"Really? My sister bought it for me." Ethan smiled and looked down at his shirt. ’I guess girls really do have similar taste,’ he thought. ’At first, I thought it looked like a pajama top since it doesn’t even have a design on it.’

"Oh, you have a sister?" Seraphina asked, a hint of surprise on her face.

"Two. I have two older sisters."

Seraphina was even more shocked. For their generation, even having two kids in a family was rare. She never would have guessed Ethan’s family had three.

"Seraphina, you’re from Lorcain. Have you been to this aquarium before?"

Hearing this, Seraphina froze for a second, then took a sip of her coffee.

’I have. In fact, I was just here yesterday with my roommate.’

She put down her coffee and shook her head slightly at Ethan. "No, I haven’t. There used to be an old aquarium in Lorcain that I went to as a kid, but this one is new. I haven’t had a chance to visit yet, so when you said you wanted to come see it the other day, I agreed."

Ethan was even happier to hear that. ’It’s more exciting since it’s the first time for both of us.’

’Plus, this proves I made the right choice. She must have been interested to agree so readily.’

"Hi there, you two."

Just then, an employee in uniform suddenly walked over, holding a small sign. "Sorry to bother you, but we’re having a couples’ photo promotion. If you use our Polaroid camera to take a picture together and post it on our photo wall, you can get two free scoops of ice cream. Would you like to participate?"

"Uh..." The employee’s question was a bit forward. Ethan opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond.

But to his surprise, Seraphina nodded without hesitation. "Sure! Can we pick our own flavors?"

"You can. We have strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and passion fruit."

"I’ll have strawberry, then. Ethan, what flavor do you want?" Seraphina asked, looking at him.

Ethan was still processing. ’Did Seraphina just agree to the couples’ promotion for us?’

"I... I’ll have vanilla, I guess," he replied, looking dazed.

Seeing his expression, Seraphina pursed her lips to hide a smile. ’He’s actually pretty cute.’

"So, should I take the picture for you, or do you want to take a selfie?" the employee asked considerately.

"We’ll take a selfie!" Seraphina said, taking the Polaroid from the employee. She stood up and beckoned Ethan to stand with her. "You take it, your arms are longer."

Ethan quickly put down his things and stood up, carefully moving closer to Seraphina. She smelled faintly of laundry detergent—a clean, pleasant scent.

Seraphina tilted her head slightly toward Ethan’s shoulder. Though they weren’t touching, the pose instantly created a cozy atmosphere for the photo, enhanced by her natural charisma in front of the camera and her infectious smile.

Ethan pressed the shutter button, and the photo quickly ejected from the camera.

Seraphina eagerly picked it up and gave it a shake. As their images gradually sharpened, she noticed Ethan’s smile was both goofy and stiff. She couldn’t help but tease, "Ethan, you look so dorky!"

Watching her playful, elfin expression, Ethan said softly, "It’s fine as long as you look good in it."

Her expression faltered for a second. Then she turned to him, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "So, should we go put it up?"

Ethan nodded.

When they got to the photo wall, they saw it was indeed part of a couples’ promotion. All the photos were of pairs—mostly men and women, but there were some with two women or two men as well. It was obvious at a glance that many of them were couples.

Ethan felt a little nervous about adding their picture to the collection.

But Seraphina said, "It’s fine. Good friends can take photos together, too. Besides, some of these people probably aren’t even couples anymore. We’re just getting some free ice cream from the shop, don’t overthink it."

"Okay. Let’s put it right in the middle!" Ethan declared, decisively placing their photo in the very center of the wall.

Then he pulled out his phone and took a picture of the Polaroid. This was his first photo with Seraphina, and he definitely wanted to keep a copy.

"What are you doing?" Seraphina asked, confused.

Ethan finished taking the picture and put his phone away, satisfied. "Just saving a memento."

"We can take more pictures once we get to the aquarium. I’ve heard it’s really photogenic in there."

’She and her roommate had taken a ton of pictures yesterday, and they had all turned out great.’

At her words, Ethan’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Great! I brought my camera."

He might not have learned much from Victor Tucker, but he had picked up on one crucial fact: girls love taking pictures. That’s why he’d come prepared.

After they finished their ice cream, it was already past ten when they left the coffee shop. The morning sun was starting to get harsh. Seraphina instinctively raised a hand to shield her forehead, but in the next second, a shadow fell over her, enveloping her in shade.

She looked up, surprised, to find Ethan holding an umbrella over her head.

"It’s hot out. You could get a sunburn," Ethan’s voice followed a moment later.

A smile played on her lips as Seraphina turned her head to look at him. "Thank you."

When they got to the aquarium’s ticket booth, Ethan stepped up to the counter. "Hi, two student tickets, please."

"Ethan, I think I forgot my student ID!" Seraphina tugged on his shirt, an apologetic look on her face.

Ethan was rummaging through his own bag. He blinked, looking baffled. "I think I forgot mine, too."

Seraphina couldn’t help but laugh. She reminded him, "Let’s just get a combo ticket. They have one for two adults, and it’s not much more expensive than the student price."

The ticket seller in the booth must have overheard them, because she helpfully pointed out, "We also have a couples’ ticket. It’s cheaper than the regular adult combo."